[DougD]

Paul
The slashes on the front fenders were to differentiate cars that were painted the same within a race. Two dark blue cars with identical white stripes, for example, would receive different color slashes to make the cars easier to tell apart from the pits.

The longitudinal white stripes changed over time, but had no real significance that I'm aware of. The first racing Cobras had no stripes, just the number circles (roundels). Later team cars had twin narrow white stripes (see the '64 Daytona Coupes). By '65 the stripes were the familiar twin "Le Mans" style (similar to the GT 350s) that are frequently copied today.

Doug